Gift registry

ABSTRACT

A social gift registry provides tools to aid those planning for major milestones in life to engage a network of friends, family, and others in communicating information about the life event, helping to identify and track gifts for the celebrants, and enabling the management of the activities involved in the celebration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/674,248, filed Nov. 5, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/668,256, filed Nov. 3, 2012, which makesreference to, claims benefit from, and claims priority to U.S.Application No. 61/668,774, filed Jul. 6, 2012, and U.S. Application No.61/555,595, filed Nov. 4, 2011. In addition, the present applicationhereby references U.S. application Ser. No. 13/284,162, filed Oct. 28,2011. The aforementioned documents are all hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods thatsupport gift registries. More specifically, certain embodiments of thepresent invention relate to gift registries that include socialcomponents involving not only the gift registry registrant, but alsoothers, including family and friends that engage in planning anddiscussion supporting the registrant, and that enable interest-basedsocial networks that aid in the formation of relationships based onsimilar domains of user interest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gift Registries have existed in various forms for nearly 90 years, andhave normally been maintained as a physical, hard-copy record of theitems selected by one celebrating a life event as something desired bythe celebrant. More recently, as in the last twenty years or so, onlinegift registries have enabled wider, electronic access to the informationof the traditional gift registry, but have still been primarily formaintaining a list of items selected by an individual or couple asthings desired as a gift during the celebration of a particular lifeevent. In either form, the traditional gift registry process focusesprimarily on the registrant as the central figure, and others use thegift registry as a resource in making choices of gifts for thecelebrant.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention asset forth in the remainder of the present application with reference tothe drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method that enables operation of a gift registrysupporting enhanced social interaction among the registrant,co-registrant, and collaborators, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the relationship of a traditional giftregistry with a registrant, a co-registrant, and collaborators (i.e.,friends and family) and others (e.g., wedding planner and gift buyers).

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the relationship of a social gift registrywith the registrant, co-registrant, and collaborators (i.e., friends andfamily) and others (e.g., wedding planner and gift buyers), inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary cadence for messaginggenerated by a gift registry that may correspond, for example, to thegift registry of FIG. 2 , for the period from registration of theregistrant to one week before the related life event, in accordance witha representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate various exemplary email messages that maybe distributed to one or more of the registrant, co-registrant,collaborators, and others based on the amount of time elapsed from thedate of registration of a registrant with the gift registry and theamount of time remaining before the occurrence of the related lifeevent, and those email messages whose distribution is based on triggersor conditions related to the state of the items listed on the giftregistry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary vendor or sponsor web page that providesoptions for a user to create a new gift registry, manage an existinggift registry, or to search for an existing gift registry, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary sign-in/sign-up web page with a sign-in optionthat enables a registrant to provide information to allow the user toaccess a gift registry for which they have previously registered, and asign-up option that enables a user to submit the information needed tobecome the registrant and create a new gift registry, in accordance witha representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary gift registry creation web page thatpermits a user to manage communication by the gift registry with thenetwork of the registrant, and to manage sharing and access by thepeople involved in the life event, in accordance with a representativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary new registrant welcome web page, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 illustrates elements of an exemplary wedding registry overviewweb page, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary tool tip that may be available to aregistrant, co-registrant, or collaborator to provide help informationto a user as an aid in understanding the features of a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates another exemplary gift registry web page, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary gift registry add-item web page, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of an exemplary after-sharing web page, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows an illustration of an exemplary after-event web page, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of a gift registry web page showing thedisplay of an article containing news or information automaticallyselected by the gift registry system as being related to items/productsfrom the gift registry of a registrant, or related to the life event ofthe registrant, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 17 shows an exemplary vendor or sponsor web page that providesoptions for a user to create, manage, or find a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary gift registry management web page thatprovides an option for adding registry items, an option for viewing theitems in the gift registry, an option for modifying gift registrysettings, an option for planning for the life event, and an option forrequesting advice and help, in accordance with a representativeembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 shows an exemplary product discovery web page that may bedisplayed following user selection of the option for adding registryitems of FIG. 18 , in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 20 shows an example starter registry web page, in accordance with arepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary item selection web page that enablesuse of a picture drag-and-drop technique for use by aregistrant/co-registrant in selecting items for assembling their owngift registry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 22 shows an exemplary item selection web page that may correspondto the item selection web page of FIG. 21 , following addition of anitem/product to the “My Registry” area, in accordance with arepresentative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an illustration of an exemplary item selection web page 2300that may, for example, correspond to the item selection web page 2200 ofFIG. 22 , in which four of the six items/products available forselection are accompanied by a “get advice” option 2392, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 shows another exemplary item selection web page that may, forexample, correspond to the item selection web page of FIG. 23 , in whichthe registrant/co-registrant has chosen to get advice from individualsin his/her network (e.g., the co-registrant/registrant, collaborators,or others with whom the registrant/co-registrant communicates), inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 illustrates an information flow in a system architecture of anexemplary user authentication mechanism for a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of an exemplary system in which arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may be practiced.

FIG. 27 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of operatinga gift registry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention relate to the components and operationof a gift registry. More specifically, certain aspects of the presentinvention relate to systems and methods for a gift registry thatsupports a portable and extensible social media web application thatenhances the gift registry experience by allowing more interaction amonga registrant, co-registrants, and collaborators including friends andfamily members. Representative embodiments of the present inventioninclude what may be also referred to herein as a “social gift registry”that removes the burden from the registrant, makes the registryinteraction the focal point of the experience, and transforms thetraditional gift registry process by merging the registrant's circle offriends and family with life's milestone occasions using technology. Arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may also be referredto herein as a “social wish list.” While a “social gift registry” may beused for larger, more complex events such as, for example, a wedding, orthe birth of a child, a “social wish list” in accordance with arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may be used forevents such as, for example, birthdays and holidays, and may havefeatures that are a subset of those of the “social gift registry.”

A representative embodiment of the present invention may comprise anumber of different collections of data, data banks, or databases about,for example, various characteristics of one or more gift registry“registrants,” products or services preferred or selected by each of theregistrants, and the individuals that are members of a social network ofeach gift registry registrant. These collections of data may, in somerepresentative embodiments, be used to keep the registrant and his/hersocial network informed and up-to-date about the activities andinformation related to a life event such as, for example, a wedding, abirthday, an anniversary, or other significant occurrence in aregistrant's life.

As utilized herein, the terms “exemplary” or “example” means serving asa non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As utilized herein,the term “e.g.” introduces a list of one or more non-limiting examples,instances, or illustrations.

It should be noted that although much of the following discussiondescribes the features and operation of a “social gift registry” in waysthat may be interpreted to apply to access via a web site using anInternet browser on a personal computer (PC), representative embodimentsof the present invention are not necessarily limited in that regard,unless so claimed. The various access and communication aspects ofrepresentative embodiments of the present invention may involve the usenot only of Internet access using a PC, but may also be enabled usingvarious combinations of PCs, mobile devices such as “smart phones,”public and private kiosks, set top boxes, interactive game systems, andother suitable electronic devices connected via wireless and/or wiredtelephone, Internet, and/or cable television infrastructures.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the relationship of a traditional giftregistry 100 with a registrant 110, a co-registrant 120, andcollaborators 130 (i.e., friends and family) and others (e.g., weddingplanner 140 and those wishing to give a gift referred to herein, andillustrated in FIG. 1 as gift buyers 150). As shown in FIG. 1 , theregistrant is primarily responsible for management of the traditionalgift registry 100. The gift buyers 150 typically access the traditionalgift registry 100 by physically visiting the store in which thetraditional gift registry 100 resides or, in some cases, may access thetraditional gift registry 100 online, but the action taken by theregistrant with respect to the traditional gift registry 100, and allcommunication between the registrant 110, co-registrant 120,collaborators 130, and others, typically takes place separate from thetraditional gift registry 100, whether or not the communication relatesto the event for which the traditional gift registry 100 wasestablished.

In contrast, a social gift registry in accordance with a representativeembodiment of the present invention provides the functionality neededfor the those celebrating a life event, including entire groups offriends and family members, to communicate with each other, manage theevent gift registry, and actively participate with thecelebrant/registrant, rather than passively send a gift and/or attend aparticular activity or event. The social media aspect of arepresentative embodiment of the present invention enhances the giftregistry process by transforming it into a seamless experience thatintegrates with the registrant's life event. Representative embodimentsof the present invention deliver a social experience in whichregistrants can seek help and advice from individuals in his or hernetwork to create and manage their gift registries. As of the date ofthe present patent application, the applicant knows of no public conceptof a social gift registry online process as described herein.

A social gift registry in accordance with a representative embodiment ofthe present invention solves many of the problems that result from theinexperience and uncertainty of a registrant regarding what gift itemsto select, by allowing for collaboration with others, such as, forexample, family and friends. In addition, a representative embodiment ofthe present invention solves many of the problems experienced byregistrants who are too busy to focus on the event gift registry as muchas they'd like to due to higher priorities.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the relationship of a social gift registry200 with the registrant 210, co-registrant 220, and collaborators 230(i.e., friends and family) and others (e.g., wedding planner 240 andgift buyers 250), in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the social gift registry 200 isa central hub that provides the functionality supporting socialinteraction by the individuals with whom the registrant 210 is involvedfor a particular life event. Each of the registrant 210, co-registrant220, and collaborators 230 interact with and through the social giftregistry 200.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, participantsmay take on any of a number of roles including the registrant 200, asmentioned above. In addition, participants may act in the roles of, forexample, a gift registry manager, the co-registrant 220 of FIG. 2 , andthe collaborators 230. Additional possible roles not shown in FIG. 2include, for example, wedding planner, event planner, event host, showerhost, guest, and reception manager. In a representative embodiment ofthe present invention, each role may have defined functions in theregistry experience. For example, an event host may send out theinvitations to an event such as a bridal or baby shower, manage a guestlist, send out reminders, and handle questions, to name only a fewpossible actions.

It should be noted that in a representative embodiment of the presentinvention, someone such as, for example, the gift buyer 250 that has notprovided to the operator or sponsor of a social gift registry theinformation needed to contact the gift buyer 250, may not be enabled toparticipate in the social interaction aspects of a representativeembodiment of the present invention, and may experience the life eventin a more traditional fashion, as described above with respect to FIG. 1. That is, without the information that permits social communicationwith the gift buyer 250, a representative embodiment of the presentinvention may not include the gift buyer 250 in the distribution of thevarious communications concerning the activities surrounding the lifeevent of the registrant. A representative embodiment of the presentinvention, recognizing that such a gift buyer 250 is unable to fullyparticipate in the life event of the registrant, may automaticallyencourage or incent the gift buyer 250 to provide the information toallow them to take part more fully in the social interactions of theregistrant, co-registrant(s), collaborators, and others.

In addition, a representative embodiment of the present invention mayprovide tools appropriate to each of the roles, to aid assignedindividuals with their respective tasks. For example, the event host mayhave at their disposal a reminder manager tool, and the wedding plannermay have access to tools such as a “dashboard,” a “to-do list,” and/or asource of vendor recommendations, to name only a few.

In addition, a representative embodiment of the present invention mayhave what may be referred to herein as a “Thank You Note” manager. Sucha tool provides a way for the registrant/co-registrant(s) to, forexample, keep track of the item(s) in the gift registry that werepurchased, the name of the individual(s) that purchased them, and arecord of whether a thank you note has been sent, and when. If a systemsupporting the gift registry of the present invention (e.g., thee-commerce platform 150 of FIG. 1 ) has information about the gift giverand/or when a particular item was purchased, the “Thank You Note”manager may fill in that information automatically. In addition, if areceived gift was a group purchase, the “Thank You Note” manager maypermit the registrant/co-registrant(s) to add the names of each of themembers of the group giving the gift, permitting theregistrant/co-registrant(s) to track the sending of a thank you note toeach member of the group. In a representative embodiment of the presentinvention, the “Thank You Note” manager may also permit theregistrant/co-registrant(s) to record the receipt of gifts not listed inthe gift registry, such as those from friends, relatives, and othersthat may have given a personal or heirloom item, or that have made apurchase without consulting the gift registry, along with the name(s) ofthose giving the gift. The “Thank You Note” manager may also provideinformation about items in the gift registry that were not purchased,and may permit the registrant/co-registrants to view those items.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may permit theregistrant to grant full administrative privileges to an individualreferred to herein as a co-registrant. A co-registrant may be, forexample, their future spouse, a parent, or a close friend, or arepresentative from a company that provides event planning andmanagement.

As mentioned above, a representative embodiment of the present inventionintroduces the concept of collaborators. Collaborators may be, forexample, members of the registrant's group of friends and family, ornon-family parties involved in planning or managing a life event. In arepresentative embodiment of the present invention, the registrant maygrant limited administrative privileges to none of, some, or all of thecollaborators, empowering each of the collaborators designated by theregistrant to have an active role in the registry process for an event.A representative embodiment of the present invention facilitatescommunication between the registrant, a co-registrant, collaborators,and those purchasing gifts related to the event. A representativeembodiment of the present invention may provide the registrant,co-registrant, and collaborators with information that gives those eventparticipants a view into similar registries made available to otherssuch as, for example, registries containing items selected by peoplecelebrating a similar milestone event in life. As mentioned above, arepresentative embodiment of the present invention introduces theconcept of a gift registry manager to coach the registrant through theevent at scheduled intervals (e.g., by time milestone and/or eventmilestone) along the registry timeline.

A representative embodiment of the present invention provides for whatare referred to herein as “news” or “activity” feeds. An activity feedis a way for participants such as, for example, the registrant,co-registrant if present, and others to quickly view and assess theinteractions that have occurred for the gift registry. Items that may bedisplayed as part of an activity feed include, but are not limited to,an indication of the addition of items to or deletion of items from thegift registry, participant comments on items in the gift registry, andthe sharing of the gift registry with another by a participant. Anactivity feed in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention may also include indications of, for example, updatedwedding or shower information, and messages automatically generated bythe gift registry system in regards to items in the gift registry suchas, for example, an indication of when an item is out of stock, noticesof items currently on promotion, and the like. Such messages may bereferred to herein as “system generated stories” that may reflect, amongother things, the activities of the registrant/co-registrant(s),collaborators, friends, and others. The activity feed may also includemessages automatically generated by the gift registry system (e.g.,“system generated stories”) regarding management of the gift registrysuch as, for example, when all items in a particular product categoryhave been purchased; a suggestion to the registrant/co-registrant toconsider selecting additional products/gift items in a particular pricerange, and the like. In addition, the activity feed may be populatedwith messages automatically generated by the gift registry system (i.e.,“system messages” or “system stories”) concerning management of the lifeevent.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the activitiesof registrants and co-registrants may also be displayed on a “wall” thatis accessible to and available for viewing by other participants.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, a registrantmay view the items in their gift registry using what may be referred toherein as a “view registry” web page. The items in the gift registry maybe sorted for viewing using any of a number of parameters such as, forexample, by price (e.g., in which items are ordered in order of pricefrom low to high, or high to low), and by category, to name only twopossible parameters, and may be viewed in what is referred to herein asa “gallery view.” Additional ways for registrants to assess their giftregistry, including adding measures of social interaction such as, forexample, sorting of the gift registry by items that have been purchasedand sorting of the gift registry by items with which others haveinteracted such as, for example, those that have been recommended,liked, commented on, and/or viewed by participants.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, participants(e.g., the registrant, co-registrant, collaborators, those buying gifts,and others) may add comments right within the gift registry (e.g., fromwith the view registry page), which may be accessible to allparticipants, including gift buyers. Participants may have conversationswith each other and the registrant and/or co-registrant. In somerepresentative embodiments of the present invention, comments madewithin the gift registry may stay within the gift registry, and may notbe accessible or viewable outside of the gift registry. Thus, in somerepresentative embodiments of the present invention, registrants,co-registrants, collaborators, and the gift registry manager may allmake comments and have conversations about products in the gift registrythat only members of the registrants' network (i.e., a co-registrant,designated collaborators, and selected other participants) can view.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may also enable theregistrant to engage in private conversations with anyone else in thegift registry. In addition, any participant such as, for example, theregistrant, a co-registrant, any of the collaborators, and others mayask questions of the gift registry manager. Communications betweenparticipants may be via any of a number of different modes or forms,including for example, chat, email, interactions occurring in a forum,Skype™, and screen sharing, to name only a few modes. In arepresentative embodiment of the present invention, questions submittedby any of the participants may, for example, be answered by members ofthe staff of a vendor operating, sponsoring, or directly related to thegift registry, including for example, sales associates, other companyassociates, those individuals that are part of a “Help Desk”organization, and others. Any questions submitted by users of the giftregistry and the corresponding answers provided by others may be keptand organized so that they are retrievable, and be made part of an alist of “frequently asked questions (FAQs)” that may form a knowledgebase for the registrant, co-registrants, collaborators, and othersinvolved in the life event of the registrant/co-registrant(s).

A representative embodiment of the present invention may provide anumber of ways for a registrant to find products for inclusion in thegift registry. For example, the operator or sponsor of the gift registrymay offer the registrant the ability to select from one or more “starterregistries” created by or for the operator of the gift registry, whereeach starter registry contains products/items selected by the operatorof the gift registry. A representative embodiment may also makeavailable one or more “public registries,” that may be created by otherregistrants that have chosen to allow their own gift registry to be madepublic. In addition, a representative embodiment of the presentinvention may enable a registrant to select a gift registry created as acollection of the “most popular products,” and such collections may beorganized by product category. The registrant/co-registrant(s) mayselect gifts from product item collections identified by a brand name.Such a gift registry may contain products/items selected based onmetrics from sales through any of a number of sales channels including,for example, Internet merchants, conventional “brick and mortar”businesses, or any combination of sources of product sales/purchaseinformation. A representative embodiment of the present invention mayalso offer the registrant a “Product Checklist,” to aid in theirselection of products/items for their own gift registry. In addition, arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may provideinformation about products according to the area of a home in which theproducts would be located or used, and may provide product items thatare customer “top picks” by room. The registrant/co-registrant(s) mayhover a cursor over such “top pick” items to cause information (e.g., apicture and/or name) of one or more members of their personal socialnetwork that have interacted with a listing for the “top pick” item.Information about product items may also be organized by interest or bystyle (e.g., cook, entertainer, renovator).

A representative embodiment of the present invention may provide to aregistrant ways to find products that a registrant may choose to includein their own gift registry. For example, a registrant may nominate theirown gift registry to be made available to others. In addition, aregistrant may search for and locate one or more of the “publicregistries” mentioned above using specific features of the event, ofproduct categories, or of products. A representative embodiment of thepresent invention may employ algorithms that use, for example, variouspieces of statistical information related to product sales, productdemand, product polls, and focus groups. A representative embodiment ofthe present invention may employ machine learning or other techniques toreturn products or gift registries that are suitable as an initial orstarting gift registry for the registrant in view of their current lifeevent.

In addition, in a representative embodiment of the present invention, aregistrant may request others to help them create their registry (e.g.,via “crowdsourcing”). A registrant may, for example, ask that others notnecessarily part of their own network be polled for opinions onproducts. The individuals polled may be selected from, for example,individuals of similar age, individuals that live in the same geographicregion, or individuals that match one or more other characteristics ofthe registrant. Further, a representative embodiment of the presentinvention may enable registrants to find products according tostatistics tracked and/or provided by the operator or sponsor of theirgift registry, by one or more other businesses operated by the operatoror sponsor of their gift registry, or by operators of relatedbusinesses, to determine product information by category such as, forexample, the most/least popular products, the most/least mentionedproducts, the products most/least “liked” in a social media sense, theproducts most/least recommended by consumers or the news media, theproducts most/least frequently added by other registrants to a giftregistry managed by this operator or sponsor, to name only a few usefulstatistics. A representative embodiment of the present invention mayalso employ a “recommendation system,” to provide information to aid theregistrant in selecting products/items for their own gift registry.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may enableindividuals or companies with expertise in one or more specific productcategories to provide their expert opinion on products, to aid theregistrant in selecting products for their gift registry. The registrantmay, for example, identify a product and request an opinion about aspecific product, or may request an identification of a product meetinga particular condition or characteristic such as, for example, “bestvalue,” “most suitable,” “lowest cost,” or “most compact,” “most energyefficient,” or the like. These opinions may be available within the giftregistry upon request, perhaps through an icon on a web page, or via aninvitation. Such opinions may be retained and organized by arepresentative embodiment of the present invention, and may be used invarious ways to aid other registrants in their selection ofproducts/items for their own gift registries.

Upon selection of a product, the registrant may also be provided withinformation that identifies those members of their personal network thathave interacted with that item (e.g., purchased, selected, commentedon), and may be shown a picture of such personal network members.Hovering a cursor over a picture of a personal network member that hasinteracted with or shown some interest in an item may result in thedisplay of an indication as to whether, for example, the picturedindividual owns the item, wants the item, likes the item, has reviewedthe item, or has recommended the item. The registrant/co-registrant maythen request the opinion of the pictured individual.

In addition, a registrant may request an opinion from a celebrityspokesperson associated with the operator or sponsor of the giftregistry, or may request opinions through, for example, “crowdsourcing.”The individuals polled for opinions via “crowdsourcing” may, forexample, be specifically selected based on a match of one or morepersonal characteristics with those of the registrant. In addition, arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may supply requestedproduct opinions and information from systems employing artificialintelligence or machine learning algorithms, to aid the registrant inhis/her selection of products for their registry.

While some representative embodiments of the present invention mayprovide static content on advice and help pages, other representativeembodiments may enable social interaction to allow a registrant,co-registrant, collaborator, or other supporting the life event toreceive advice and help. As mention previously above, a representativeembodiment of the present invention may provide expert opinions asspecified above, and may gather and make available an “FAQ” orcollection/database of “frequently asked questions.” Such a collectionof information may be available to all users as a knowledge base.Further, the social interaction may include staff of various vendors ofitems/products including, for example, sales associates, other companyassociates, and members of a “Help Desk,” to can answer questions raisedby the registrant, co-registrant(s), collaborators, or others involvedin the life event. It should be noted that a representative embodimentof the present invention supports social interaction using any and allways of communication including, but not limited to, any combination ofvarious forms of chat, email, forums, Skype™, video, and screen sharing,to name just a few forms of social interaction.

Some representative embodiments of the present invention may provideregistrants and co-registrants with the ability to transition their giftregistries as they move through different life stages. For example, arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may enable anindividual that has a gift registry created for a celebration ofgraduation from college to transition that gift registry into a giftregistry suitable for a bridal shower, and may yet later transition thatgift registry again to one appropriate for the celebration of thearrival of a first child. A representative embodiment of the presentinvention may enable members of the network of a registrant to suggestthis.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may provide aregistry-specific news and activity feed, which is made available to theregistrant, the co-registrant, and the collaborators. Such aregistry-specific news and activity feed may update all active giftregistry participants with registry-specific user activity and eventinformation including, but not limited to, notification when anitem/product is added to the gift registry, when a comment is made onthe gift registry, when a gift registry system message is posted, when a“gift registry manager” posts a message, when the gift registry isshared, when an event date is updated, and when a shower date isupdated, to name only a few possible notifications.

A representative embodiment of the present invention enables theregistrant, co-registrant(s), and their friends and families to stayactively engaged and informed about the gift registry and the eventtimeline. The synergistic integration of social media technology withthe gift registry enhances the gift registry process by transforming thegift registry process into a seamless experience that integrates withthe registrant's/co-registrant's life event.

Various representative embodiments of the present invention may includesupport for the automatic creation and distribution of messages such as,for example, email, text messages (e.g., Short Message Service (SMS) orMultimedia Message System (MMS) messages), and other forms of electroniccommunication to the registrant, co-registrant(s), collaborators, andothers involved in the life event. Such messages may be related to giftregistry activity, as described above, or may be messages from membersof the registrant's network (e.g., the co-registrant and collaborators.)The schedule for such communication may be based, for example, onvarious milestones that typical occur for the life event of theregistrant/co-registrants, or may be customized by theregistrant/co-registrant(s) for specific dates of significance. In thisway, a representative embodiment of the present invention mayautomatically communicate with the registrant/co-registrant(s) relatedto significant or important dates for their life event. For example, arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may schedule one ormore email messages according to how much time has passed since theregistrant registered with the gift registry, and how much time is leftuntil their life event (before and after).

A representative embodiment of the present invention may automaticallysend messages for a variety of types of content. For example, someautomatically distributed messages may be related to the status ofitems/products listed in the gift registry, such as when an item in theregistry is out of stock, or when a particular item has been purchased,to name only two. Some of the automatically transmitted messages may berelated to social interaction aspects including, but not limited to,invitations to co-registrant(s) or collaborators, or the sharing ofinformation with event guests. Other automatically generated messagesmay be promotional in nature, sent on behalf of the operator or sponsorof the gift registry to provide information related to, for example,information or reminders relating honeymoon planning, gifts for thewedding party, getting in shape, and the like. In a representativeembodiment of the present invention, the cadence and content of suchsystem generated communication may be based on the interaction of therecipient with the transmitted message such as, for example, the rate atwhich messages are opened by a recipient, and the occurrence of“click-throughs” and/or “sell-throughs”.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary cadence for messaginggenerated by a gift registry that may correspond, for example, to thegift registry 200 of FIG. 2 , for the period from registration of theregistrant to one week before the related life event, in accordance witha representative embodiment of the present invention. Although themessaging mechanism of FIG. 3 is indicated to be email, it should beunderstood that the use of email for messaging does not represent aspecific limitation of the present invention, and that a variety ofother communication mechanisms may be employed such as, for example, oneor more of chat, email, forums, and texting (e.g., SMS or MMS), to nameonly a few.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the date of registration 310 by a registrant mayinitiate a series of messages and reminders related to the life event ofthe registrant. For example, FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplarymethod 301 beginning with a registration event at block 312, whichresults in the sending to the registrant of a “welcome” email 313. Thewelcome email 313 is followed in the example of FIG. 3 by a series of anadditional six emails 330 sent to the registrant during the monthfollowing the date of registration 310. The method 301 then, at block314, determines whether a related co-registrant has signed up. If itdetermined at block 314 that a co-registrant has signed up, then aco-registrant “welcome” email 316 is sent to the co-registrant,otherwise, the method 301 determines that no email communication is totake place with co-registrants.

In the example of FIG. 3 , at the end of the first month 318 followingregistration, a second method 302 of communication begins. It should benoted that the switch to a different algorithm for determining when tocommunicate with the registrant, co-registrant, and collaborators, suchas the method 302, need not begin at one month into the milestonesleading to the life event, but may be at any cadence or intervalselected by the operator or sponsor of the social gift registry, or theregistrant, co-registrant, or in some cases, the collaborators, and maybe automatically adjusted based on responses of the recipients to thecommunications sent by a representative embodiment of the presentinvention, or other variables. In the illustration of FIG. 3 , themedemails 319 may be distributed, for example, three times a month, whileseasonal emails 320 may be distributed for specific months. In eithercase, a determination may be made, at decision block 321, whether emailssharing information about the life event (e.g., a wedding) are to besent to guests. This determination may be based on the number of itemslisted in the gift registry such as, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 ,when the number of items in the gift registry exceed 0.6 times thenumber of guests. If it determined that emails are to be distributed,the emails may then be sent to guests on a weekly basis.

The example of FIG. 3 also illustrates the use of one or more triggers330 that may become active when a certain number of items are listed inthe gift registry. When active such triggers 330 may result in arepresentative embodiment of the present invention automatically sendingemails indicating, for example, when one or more items of the giftregistry are out of stock at the vendor of the item, if too few itemshave been select for the gift registry, or when a newer model of aselected item is available.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate various exemplary email messages that maybe distributed to one or more of the registrant, co-registrant,collaborators, and others based on the amount of time elapsed from thedate of registration of a registrant with the gift registry and theamount of time remaining before the occurrence of the related lifeevent, and those email messages whose distribution is based on triggersor conditions related to the state of the items listed on the giftregistry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary vendor or sponsor web page 600 that providesoptions for a user to create a new gift registry, manage an existinggift registry, or to search for an existing gift registry, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 6 , web page 600 includes a create registry option 605, which whenselected permits the user to create their own gift registry, beginningwith user selection of the life event for which the gift registry isbeing created. The web page 600 also includes a gift registry managementoption 610, to enable a user that has previously created a gift registryto make additions or changes to gift registry-related information. Inaddition, the web page 600 includes a find registry option 630, tolocate a gift registry for an identified individual. The viewer of webpage 600 may also use dedicated command buttons to create a weddingregistry using wedding registry option 640, a baby registry using babyregistry option 650, or a registry for another occasion using acatch-all “etc.” option 660.

Although not shown in FIG. 6 , the registrant/co-registrant(s) may bepresented with one or more screens or web pages that enable them toenter their personal information such as, for example, the date and typeof the event, their names, email address(es), residence addresses, andtelephone number(s), whether they wish to be notified when a gift on theregistry is purchased, whether the registry is to be kept private, andwhether gift cards and/or group gifting is acceptable. If anyinformation about the registrant/co-registrant(s) is already known to asystem supporting the gift registry (e.g., the e-commerce platform 150),that information may be used to pre-populate corresponding fields. Theymay also be given the opportunity to select who can see updates to theiractivity feed, and to specifically identify those that may make changesto the gift registry. The registrant/co-registrant(s) may also be giventhe option to personalize the appearance of their gift registry with,for example, their own pictures (e.g., a picture for the “cover”),colors, or themes, and may be permitted to select a template to be usedto display the product items in their registry. When they are finishedcreating their gift registry, the registrant/co-registrant(s) may“publish” the gift registry, and may, from within the gift registry, useemail, the Facebook® social communication network, or other means toinvite others to visit their gift registry. In addition, the publishingof the gift registry may be shown as a system generated message or“system story” in their activity feed, based on the permissions orprivacy settings of the registrant/co-registrant(s).

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary sign-in/sign-up web page 700 with a sign-inoption 710 that enables a registrant to provide information to allow theuser to access a gift registry for which they have previouslyregistered, and a sign-up option 720 that enables a user to submit theinformation needed to become the registrant and create a new giftregistry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary gift registry creation web page 800 thatpermits a user to manage communication by the gift registry with thenetwork of the registrant, and to manage sharing and access by thepeople involved in the life event, in accordance with a representativeembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8 , the registrantis provided with communication options 810, to permit the registrant tochoose the means used by the gift registry to communicate with theregistrant. The registrant is also provided with communication option820, to permit the registrant to select the means used by the giftregistry to communicate with the co-registrant, which may in the case ofa wedding gift registry be the spouse of the registrant, for example.The example of FIG. 8 also provides the registrant with a viewing option830, which controls whether others are allowed to view items in the giftregistry, a co-registrant permissions option 840, which controls whetherthe co-registrant is given full access to the gift registry, and an“others” permissions option 850, which controls whether individualsother than the registrant and the co-registrant are permitted to choosegifts and handle tasks associated with the gift registry. Theillustration of FIG. 8 also includes a display control option 860, whichpermits the registrant to control whether materials, messages, etc.,posted to the gift registry are also displayed to others through, forexample, another means of social interaction such as a social networkingweb site. In addition, the example of FIG. 8 includes a commentingoption 870, which permits the registrant to control whether those givinggifts are allowed to comments on items in the gift registry.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary new registrant welcome web page 900, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.The new registrant web page may be displayed after the user hascompleted entry of the information for gift registry creation web page800 of FIG. 8 , for example.

FIG. 10 illustrates elements of an exemplary wedding registry overviewweb page 1000, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention. As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the wedding registryoverview web page 1000 includes a number of items to be selectedindication 1010, a number of items already selected indication 1020, anda number of item remaining to be select indication 1030, which displaythe progress of the registrant/co-registrant in selecting products/itemsfor listing and/or display in their gift registry. The wedding registryoverview web page 1000 of FIG. 10 also includes a number of help options1090 that provide the registrant/co-registrant with access to varioustypes of help in choosing items/products for their gift registry. Inaddition, the wedding registry overview web page 1000 includes a piechart 1040 that shows a breakdown of the number of items/products nowlisted in their gift registry, by price. The wedding registry overviewweb page 1000 also includes a reminder 1050 of the amount of timeremaining before the related life event, a list of suggested activities1060 appropriate for this life event (i.e., planning and managing theactivities that surround a wedding), and an area containing pictures andinformation 1070 of the collaborators in the handling of weddingactivities, in this example, a registry manager. The exemplary weddingregistry overview web page 1000 of FIG. 10 also includes a news andactivity feed 1080, which displays current information about actions ofthose involved in the life event and information useful to theregistrant/co-registrant. Additional information about news and activityfeeds is discussed above.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary tool tip 1100 that may be available to aregistrant, co-registrant, or collaborator to provide help informationto a user as an aid in understanding the features of a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates another exemplary gift registry web page 1200, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary gift registry add-item web page 1300, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 13 , the wedding registry overview web page 1300shows an updated number of items to select indication 1310 (which may becompared to the number items 1010 shown in FIG. 10 ), an updated numberof items selected indication 1320 (which may be compared to the numberof items 1020 shown in FIG. 10 ), and an updated number of items yet tobe select indication 1330 (which may be compared to the number of items1030 of FIG. 10 ), showing the progress of the registrant/co-registrantin selecting products/items for listing and/or display in their giftregistry. As in FIG. 10 , the wedding registry overview web page 1300also includes a reminder 1350 of how much time remains before therelated life event (i.e., in the example, 147 days), and includes anarea containing pictures and information of those helping in thehandling of wedding activities, in this example, collaborators 1371,1373, 1375. The exemplary wedding registry overview web page 1300 ofFIG. 13 also includes a news and activity feed 1380, which displayscurrent information about actions of those involved in the life eventand information useful to the registrant/co-registrant.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of an exemplary after-sharing web page 1400,in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 shows an illustration of an exemplary after-event web page 1500,in accordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 15 , the after-event web page 1500 includes a promotionregion 1510 offering purchasing options and incentives to theregistrant/co-registrant to buy those items/products listed on the giftregistry that have not been purchased for the registrant. In addition,the after-event web page 1500 includes an updated list of suggestedactivities 1520, appropriate for the period of time after the event(e.g., a wedding). The after-event web page 1500 also shows a news andactivity feed 1580, which in the illustration of FIG. 15 has beenupdated with a message informing the registrant of a monetary discountbeing offered by a vendor or operator/sponsor of the gift registry. Sucha message may be automatically generated by the gift registry systembased on the information that all items/products listed on the giftregistry by the registrant/co-registrant were not purchased for thecouple by attendees and others.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of a gift registry web page 1600 showing thedisplay of an article 1610 containing news or information automaticallyselected by the gift registry system as being related to items/productsfrom the gift registry of a registrant, or related to the life event ofthe registrant, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 17 shows an exemplary vendor or sponsor web page 1700 that providesoptions for a user to create, manage, or find a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.The web page 1700 includes a gift registry management option 1710 topermit a user that has previously created a gift registry to makeadditions or changes to gift registry-related information.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary gift registry management web page 1800that provides an option for adding registry items 1811, an option forviewing the items in the gift registry 1812, an option for modifyinggift registry settings 1813, an option for planning for the life event1814, and an option for requesting advice and help 1815, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention. Among otherfeatures, the gift registry management web page 1800 also includes anews and activity feed 1880, previously described above, and an areadisplaying collaborators 1871, 1872, 1873 that are participating in thelife event of the registrant in some fashion.

FIG. 19 shows an exemplary product discovery web page 1900 that may bedisplayed following user selection of the option for adding registryitems 1811 of FIG. 18 , in accordance with a representative embodimentof the present invention. As shown in FIG. 19 , theregistrant/co-registrant may select from a number of options, to aidthem in selecting items for their gift registry including, for example,a starter registries option 1982 through which the registrant caninitialize their own registry by selecting one of a number of sampleregistries listing items appropriate for their life event. Theregistrant/co-registrant may also select a go public option 1983, topermit the registrant to view the contents of registries of otherregistrant/co-registrants that have chosen to make their gift registriesavailable for viewing. The registrant/co-registrant may also select acatalog option 1984, which permits the registrant to view a catalog ofitems/products that have been selected by the operator or sponsor of thegift registry, based upon the life event and personal information of theregistrant/co-registrant. The registrant/co-registrant may also choose agift menu option 1985 that provides a checklist containing ideas forreview by the registrant/co-registrant, to insure that all possible giftideas have been considered. In addition, the registrant/co-registrantmay select a wedding wizard option 1986 which may employ, for example,artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data mining techniques toautomatically provide gift suggestions to the registrant/co-registrantbased upon their responses to a series of questions. In addition, in theexample of FIG. 19 , a portion of the exemplary product discovery webpage 1900 is used for the display of the most popular products in thewedding registries of the operator or sponsor of the gift registrypresenting the product discovery web page 1900, or other weddingregistries supported or sponsored by a wider group of merchants, forexample.

FIG. 20 shows an example starter registry web page 2000, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 20 , a representative embodiment of the present invention may offera registrant/co-registrant a selection of example gift registries fortheir life event, each oriented or customized for the lifestyle of theregistrant/co-registrant including for example, a starter gift registrythat includes the basic needs and wants, a starter gift registry forcouples that are fitness oriented, and a starter gift registry for thosethat enjoy entertaining, to name only a few example starter giftregistries.

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary item selection web page 2100 thatenables use of a picture drag-and-drop technique for use by aregistrant/co-registrant in selecting items for assembling their owngift registry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention. In the example illustration of FIG. 21 , theregistrant/co-registrant has begun by selecting a “basic” starterregistry, in which pictures of the items (e.g., a mixer 2110) aredisplayed for selection by the registrant/co-registrant. Once selected,the registrant/co-registrant may drag the selected item (e.g., the mixer2110) to a “My Registry” area 2120 of the item selection web page 2100,which represents the gift registry of the registrant/co-registrant, toadd the selected item to their gift registry. In some representativeembodiments, the registrant/co-registrant(s) may add an item to aportion of the gift registry identified by the room in which the itemgoes. As items/products are added to the “My Registry” area 2120,information about the selected items/products such as, for example, apicture of the item, the price of the item, the stock keeping unit(SKU), the availability of the item, it's popularity, and scores fromreviewers, to name just a few pieces of information, may be added to thegift registry, or saved for later addition to the gift registry for theregistrant/co-registrant at the end of the item/product selectionactivity. In a representative embodiment of the present invention, theaddition of an item to the gift registry may automatically be announcedin the activity feed(s) for the registrant/co-registrant(s). Thisannouncement may appear as a system generated message or “system story,”and may be viewable by the registrant/co-registrant(s), collaborators,friends, and family, and other member of the personal network of theregistrant/co-registrant(s), depending on corresponding permissions orprivacy settings selected by the registrant/co-registrant(s).

FIG. 22 shows an exemplary item selection web page 2200 that maycorrespond to the item selection web page 2100 of FIG. 21 , followingaddition of an item/product to the “My Registry” area 2220, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention. Inthe example FIG. 22 , the registrant/co-registrant may select the “addthese items” command button 2291 to add items/products collected in the“My Registry” area 2220 to the gift registry of theregistrant/co-registrant.

FIG. 23 is an illustration of an exemplary item selection web page 2300that may, for example, correspond to the item selection web page 2200 ofFIG. 22 , in which four of the six items/products available forselection are accompanied by a “get advice” option 2392, in accordancewith a representative embodiment of the present invention. The “getadvice” option 2392 enables the registrant/co-registrant to requestadvice from others including, for example, those having specificexpertise with the product such as professional product reviewers,writers for related media publications, and those individuals that ownthe product.

FIG. 24 shows another exemplary item selection web page 2400 that may,for example, correspond to the item selection web page 2300 of FIG. 23 ,in which the registrant/co-registrant has chosen to get advice fromindividuals in his/her network (e.g., the co-registrant/registrant,collaborators, or others with whom the registrant/co-registrantcommunicates), in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in FIG. 24 , the advice solicited by theregistrant/co-registrant may, for example, come from compilations of“frequently asked questions (FAQs)”, recommendations (e.g., fromprofessionals or from those individuals known to theregistrant/co-registrant), from polls, and from catalogs, to name only afew possible sources.

FIG. 25 illustrates an information flow in a system architecture 2500 ofan exemplary user authentication mechanism for a gift registry, inaccordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 2600 on which arepresentative embodiment of the present invention may be practiced. Asillustrated in FIG. 26 , the system 2600 includes an e-commerce platform2650 comprising one or more web servers 2654, one or more databaseservers 2656, and one or more application servers 2652. The elements ofthe e-commerce platform 2650 may be interconnected, and may singly or asa group be connected to Internet 2605 via communication link 2607, whichmay employ any suitable combination of wired or wireless datacommunication links. FIG. 26 also includes personal computers (PCs)2610, 2615, which are connected to the Internet 2605 by communicationslinks 2608, 2609, respectively, which may be any suitable combination ofwired or wireless data communication links. PCs 2610, 2615 may be anyof, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebookcomputer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, or any other electronicdevice having capabilities suitable for accessing the Internet 2605from, for example, a home, a small business, or any private or publicarea having suitable support for communications links 2608, 2609.

In addition, FIG. 26 illustrates a user communication device 2625 thatmay comprise, for example, a tablet computer, smart phone, or otherhandheld electronic device capable of communicating with the e-commerceplatform 2650 via a wireless network 2620, a communication link 2627,and the Internet 2605. The communication device 2625 of FIG. 26 mayinclude suitable software applications, hardware, and logic to permitthe communication device 2625 to display received web pages and otherforms of digital information on a display of the communication device2625, and suitable user interface (UI) elements to permit a user tointeract with the e-commerce platform 2650 using tactual, speech, andother forms of input. The communication device 2625 may be capable ofhaving native applications installed on the communication device fromrepositories accessible as “app stores,” for example. The wirelessnetwork 2620 may support communication of digital information using anysuitable wireless access technology including, for example, anycombination of short-range, long range, Wi-Fi, cellular, personalcommunication system (PCS), Bluetooth, Near Field communication (NFC),to name only a few possible air interface technologies.

FIG. 26 also includes a portable telephone that may be capable ofcommunicating over one or more of a cellular, PCS, Wi-Fi, or otherwireless communication network, and may have more limited yet sufficientfunctionality to interact with the e-commerce platform 2650 than thatavailable from the PCs 2610, 2615 and the communication device 2625.

In addition, FIG. 26 illustrates a kiosk device 2635, which may permitusers in retail and public venues to access the e-commerce platform2650. The kiosk device 2635 may be designed for indoor or outdoor use,and may be linked to the e-commerce platform 2650 via a communicationlink 2637 and Internet 2605, as shown, or may communicate directly withthe e-commerce platform 2650 using any other suitable wired or wirelessmeans. The kiosk 2635 may have functionality that is equivalent, greaterthan, or less than the personal computers 2610, 2615, the communicationsdevice 2625, and the cellular telephone 2630.

The illustration of FIG. 26 also shows a retail establishment 2660 thatmay, for example, be a “brick-and-mortar” business associated with theoperator or sponsor of the e-commerce platform 2650. The retailestablishment 2660 may include a kiosk 2664 that may support access tothe e-commerce platform 2650 from the retail establishment 2660, forthose users that are located within the retail establishment 2660. Theillustration of FIG. 26 also includes a communication device 2662 thatmay belong to, or be loaned to a customer of the retail establishment2660, permitting the customer to, for example, electronically accessinformation about products and/or services available at the retailestablishment 2660, at other business locations of the operator of theretail establishment 2660, or at other businesses operated by, forexample, the operator, or businesses that partner with the operator ofthe e-commerce platform 2650. Communication devices within the retailbusiness 2660 such as, for example, the communication device 2662 andthe kiosk 2664 may communicate with the e-commerce platform 2650 via theInternet 2605 and the communication link 2667, which may be, forexample, any suitable combination of wired and/or wireless communicationtechnologies.

In addition, the system 2600 of FIG. 26 includes an application/webserver 2670 that may, for example, be operated by a third-party providerof applications selectable by users of the e-commerce platform 2650, andthat may be arranged to interact with elements of the e-commerceplatform 2650, as described more fully below.

In accordance with a representative embodiment of the present invention,the elements of a system such as the e-commerce platform 2650 of FIG. 26, for example, may include the functionality in a software applicationthat enables user membership in a loyalty program of a business operatoror sponsor of the e-commerce platform 2650, and the engagement of usersin various events and the activities. The e-commerce platform 2650 mayinclude a software platform which tracks social interactions of users,and may track the activities of each member of the loyalty program. Thetracking capabilities may include a flexible interaction trackingframework that supports multiple social interactions of the members. Inaddition, the software application may support interfacing a variety ofuser communication devices including, for example, tablet, desktop,notebook, notepad, and network computers, cellular telephone and smartphones, public and private kiosks, and other suitable electronic usercommunication devices available at the present time or in the future.

FIG. 27 shows a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of operatinga gift registry, in accordance with a representative embodiment of thepresent invention. The following discussion may make reference to theelements of the system of FIG. 26 , in which a representative embodimentof the present invention may be practiced. The method begins at block2710, in which the system of FIG. 26 may store, in a first collection ofdata comprising information identifying product items or services andcorresponding status information for each of the plurality ofregistrants, information identifying one of a product item or a serviceand corresponding status information, the product item or service havingbeen selected by one of the plurality of registrants. For example, sucha collection of data may be stored in the database servers 2656 of thee-commerce platform 2650, and a registrant may select product items orservices using any of the PCs 2610, 2615, the user communication device2625, the portable telephone 2630, the communication device 2662, or thekiosks 2635, 2664 of FIG. 26 .

Next, at block 2720, the method of FIG. 27 may display product item orservice information for the registrant from the first collection to amember of a social network corresponding to the one registrant, thesocial network comprising one or more individuals known to the oneregistrant. The information from the collection of product items andservices for the registrant may be displayed to the member of the socialnetwork of the registrant using any of the devices communicativelycoupled to the e-commerce platform such as, for example, the PCs 2610,2615, the user communication device 2625, the portable telephone 2630,the communication device 2662, or the kiosks 2635, 2664 of FIG. 26 .

Next, the method of FIG. 27 may, at block 2730, update the correspondingstatus information for the displayed product item or service for the oneregistrant, responsive to an action by the member with respect to theproduct item or service. For example, the member of the social networkof the registrant may choose to purchase the displayed product item forthe registrant, or may choose to post one or more comments about theproduct item or service displayed to the member of the social network,and the method of FIG. 27 may update the status for the displayedproduct item or service to reflect that action by the member. The methodof FIG. 27 may then, at block 2740, notify one or both of the oneregistrant and at least one other member of the social network of theone registrant, of the updated status. In this manner, a systemsupporting a gift registry in accordance with a representativeembodiment of the present invention, such as the e-commerce platform2650 of FIG. 26 , may notify members of the social network of aregistrant of various actions taken by other members of the socialnetwork and the registrant(s), in order to better engage them in thevarious activities surrounding the life event of the registrant(s). Themethod illustrated in FIG. 27 then loops back, to support furtheractions by the registrant and members of the social network of theregistrant.

It should be noted that although the example method of FIG. 27 relatesto a method of operating a gift registry, such as that suitable for awedding, anniversary, shower, or other gift giving event, this exampleis provided for illustrative purposes only, as the concepts disclosedherein may be applied to the operation of other systems, information,and actions related to e-commerce and event planning activities of otherindividuals and their social networks, without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

Various representative embodiments may enable a registrant to manage aregistry or communicate with event participants online, via theInternet, or using a kiosk or other system available in a retailenvironment. Some representative embodiments of the present inventionmay, in addition or as an alternative, support management of a registryor communicate with various participants via, for example, anapplication or “app” for a smart phone device such as one of the iPhoneproducts from Apple Inc., or any smart device based upon, for example,the Android platform, developed by Google. Access using such devicesmay, for example, allow the registrant/co-registrant(s), or others toadd or delete items/products from the gift registry. Access using mobiledevices such as those mentioned above may provide content customized forthe particular device or communication path used for access, and may insome cases present a subset of the content or functionality availablevia online or Internet access using, for example, a personal, notebook,netbook, or ultrabook computer having greater computing and/or displaycapability. Some representative embodiments may enable registrants tocreate their gift registries or wish lists on their mobile devices, andmay provide a user experience on the mobile device that is equivalent orconsistent with that available via an online or Internet communicationlink, such that anything they are able to do online, can also be doneusing their mobile device. A representative embodiment of the presentinvention may support communication (e.g., text “chat” or other forms ofcommunication between or among the registrant, the co-registrant, andothers (e.g., friends, family, gift givers, and planners/coordinators)while in a store together, or while shopping at various locations. Forexample, a bride and groom may be in different parts of a store, or atdifferent locations, and may communicate via a representative embodimentof the present invention to share or discuss items that they are lookingat, to make decisions about what to include in their social giftregistry.

In addition, a representative embodiment of the present invention mayinclude location-specific services to users of mobile devices. Forexample, a user of a mobile device may be notified via their mobiledevice when visiting a merchant that they are currently located in thestore near an item that is listed in their gift registry, and may thenbe offered a promotion in-store to encourage purchase of such an item.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may also make useof the functionality and information streams generated by popular retailapplications (“apps”) such as, for example, the mobile application knownas Shopkick™, developed by shopkick, Inc. The Shopkick™ app providesconsumers with rewards and offers simply for walking into stores, forscanning products, and for signing up their friends. A representativeembodiment of the present invention may select the rewards, coupons,discounts, and offers provided to registrants, co-registrant(s),collaborators and others based upon, for example, the contents of a giftregistry, the location and behavior of the registrant, co-registrant(s),and collaborators, and information provided by systems supporting retailapps such as Shopkick™.

A representative embodiment of the present invention may take intoaccount a registrant's location, the registrant's behavior, and thebehavior of the registrant's network (e.g., the behavior of theregistrant, the co-registrant(s), the collaborators, and othersassociated with the registrant), in creating promotions, coupons, anddiscounts.

As previously discussed, aspects of the social gift registry describedabove may also be seen in a “social wish list” for events such as, forexample, birthdays and holidays. Some features described above withrespect to a “social gift registry” may also apply to a “social wishlist,” while others may not, but the general concept of system(s) andmethod(s) that enable individuals to, for example, engage in socialnetworking in the planning of an event that involves the selection andgiving of gifts, and the execution of the various tasks and activitiesthat may be involved.

It should again be noted that although much of the discussion abovedescribes the features and operation of a “social gift registry,” andsimilarly a “social wish list,” in ways that may be interpreted to applyto access via a web site using an Internet browser on a personalcomputer (PC), representative embodiments of the present invention arenot necessarily limited in that regard, unless explicitly claimed. Thevarious access and communication aspects of representative embodimentsof the present invention may involve the use not only of Internet accessusing a PC, but may also be enabled using other devices such as, forexample, various combinations of PCs, mobile devices such as “smartphones,” public and private kiosks, set top boxes, interactive gamesystems, and other suitable electronic devices connected via anysuitable wireless and/or wired communication means such as, for example,telephone, Internet, and/or cable television infrastructures.

Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a system for operating agift registry for registering gift preferences of a plurality ofregistrants. Such a system may comprise a first collection of datacomprising for each of the plurality of registrants, informationidentifying one or more of a product item or a service and correspondingstatus information for each product item or service, and a secondcollection of data comprising information characteristic of each of theplurality of registrants. The system may also comprise a thirdcollection of data comprising information identifying members of each ofa plurality of social networks, where each social network corresponds toone of the plurality of registrants and comprises one or moreindividuals known to the one registrant. The system may comprise atleast one processor having access to the first collection, the secondcollection, and the third collection, and the at least one processor maybe operable to, at least, store, in the first collection, informationidentifying one of a product item or a service selected by the oneregistrant, and may display product item or service information for theone registrant from the first collection to a member of thecorresponding social network.

In such a system, the at least one processor may also be operable toupdate the corresponding status information for the displayed productitem or service for the one registrant, responsive to an action by themember with respect to the product item or service, and to notify one orboth of the one registrant and at least one other member of the socialnetwork of the one registrant, of the updated status. In arepresentative embodiment of the present invention, the statusinformation may comprise an indication of a quantity, and may comprisean indication of purchase of the corresponding product item or servicefor the one registrant. The membership in the social network,notification, member access to information in the first collection, andan ability of a member to add a product item or a service to the firstcollection may be controlled by the one registrant.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the at leastone processor may be operable to, at least, automatically send one ormore messages to one or both of the one registrant and members of thecorresponding social network, and at least one date of sending andcontent of the one or more messages may be determined based upon a typeof social event and associated event date specified by the oneregistrant. The at least one processor may also be operable to, atleast, communicate, to the one registrant, when an out of stockcondition has occurred for a product item identified for the oneregistrant in the first collection, and communicate, to the oneregistrant, when a product item identified for the one registrant isavailable from a vendor at a reduced cost. The at least one processormay be operable to, at least, enable communication among the oneregistrant and members of the corresponding social network. Thecommunication among the one registrant and members of the correspondingsocial network may be merged to produce a feed viewable by one or bothof the at least one registrant and the members of the social network.

In some representative embodiments of the present invention, the atleast one processor may be operable to, at least, responsive to the oneregistrant, populate the first collection for the one registrant withone or both of product items or services of a gift registry created bysomeone other than the one registrant, prompt the one registrant toenable or disable one or more permissions regarding member access to thefirst collection and notifications, and store the one or morepermissions for the one registrant in the second collection. The actionby the member with respect to the product item or service may comprisepurchasing the product item or service, and may comprise posting acomment about the product item or service.

Further aspects of the present invention may be seen in a method ofoperating a gift registry for registering gift preferences of aplurality of registrants. Such a method may comprise storing, in a firstcollection of data comprising information identifying product items orservices and corresponding status information for each of the pluralityof registrants, information identifying one of a product item or aservice and corresponding status information, the product item orservice having been selected by one of the plurality of registrants. Themethod may also comprise displaying product item or service informationfor the one registrant from the first collection to a member of a socialnetwork corresponding to the one registrant, the social networkcomprising one or more individuals known to the one registrant. Themethod may further comprise updating the corresponding statusinformation for the displayed product item or service for the oneregistrant, responsive to an action by the member with respect to theproduct item or service. Such a method may, in addition, comprisenotifying one or both of the one registrant and at least one othermember of the social network of the one registrant, of the updatedstatus.

In a representative embodiment of the present invention, the statusinformation may comprise an indication of a quantity, and may comprisean indication of purchase of the corresponding product item or servicefor the one registrant. In such an embodiment, the membership in thesocial network, notification, member access to information in the firstcollection, and an ability of a member to add a product item or aservice to the first collection may be controlled by the one registrant.

A method in accordance with a representative embodiment of the presentinvention may comprise automatically sending one or more messages to oneor both of the one registrant and members of the corresponding socialnetwork, and at least one date of sending and content of the one or moremessages may be determined based upon a type of social event andassociated event date specified by the one registrant. In somerepresentative embodiments, such a method may comprise communicating, tothe one registrant, when an out of stock condition has occurred for aproduct item identified for the one registrant in the first collection,and may comprise communicating, to the one registrant, when a productitem identified for the one registrant is available from a vendor at areduced cost. The method may comprise enabling communication among theone registrant and members of the corresponding social network. Thecommunication among the one registrant and members of the correspondingsocial network may be merged to produce a feed viewable by one or bothof the at least one registrant and the members of the social network.

In various representative embodiments, such a method may also comprise,responsive to the one registrant, populating the first collection forthe one registrant with one or both of product items or services of agift registry created by someone other than the one registrant. Inaddition, the method may comprise prompting the one registrant to enableor disable one or more permissions regarding member access to the firstcollection and notifications, and storing the one or more permissionsfor the one registrant. The action by the member with respect to theproduct item or service may comprise purchasing the product item orservice, and may comprise posting a comment about the product item orservice.

Yet additional aspects of a representative embodiment of the presentinvention may be found in a non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising one or more code sections, each code section having storedtherein one or more instructions executable by a processor to cause theprocessor to perform the method of operating a gift registry such asthat described above.

Although devices, methods, and systems according to the presentinvention may have been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form setforth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover suchalternative, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonablyincluded within the scope of the invention as defined by this disclosureand appended diagrams.

Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in hardware,software, or a combination of hardware and software. The presentinvention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind ofcomputer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computer system with a computerprogram that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computersystem such that it carries out the methods described herein.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

While the present invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention willinclude all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a memory device operable tostore: one or more gift preferences of a user, wherein the giftpreferences comprise a product item or a service, and wherein a giftregistry comprises the gift preferences, a status of each giftpreference in the gift registry, a characteristic of the user, andidentities of one or more members of a social network to which the userbelongs; and at least one processor, with access to the memory device,operable to: provide a single sign on (SSO) authentication at a websiteof an e-commerce company, send an SSO token to an authentication servicefor the SSO authentication, wherein the authentication service is incommunication with a website of the e-commerce company and a website ofthe gift registry, in response to the SSO authentication, filter the SSOtoken and send the filtered SSO token to the website of the giftregistry, and validate, via the web site of the gift registry and theauthentication service, the filtered SSO token from the website of thee-commerce company.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein thestatus comprises an indication of a quantity.
 3. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the status indicates a purchase, of a gift preference,for the user.
 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein a membershipin the social network is controlled by the user.
 5. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is operable to notify oneor both of the user and at least one member, of the social network, ofthe status of a gift preference of the gift registry.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein access the status, of a gift preference inthe gift registry, is controlled by the user.
 7. The system according toclaim 1, wherein an ability of a member, of the social network, to add aproduct item or a service to the gift registry is controlled by theuser.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor is operable to automatically send one or more messages to oneor both of the user and the members of the social network, wherein adate of sending the one or more messages is determined by the user, andwherein content of the one or more messages is determined according to atype of social event specified by the user.
 9. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one processor is operable to communicate,to the user, when an out of stock condition has occurred for a giftpreference in the gift registry.
 10. The system according to claim 1,wherein the at least one processor is operable to communicate, to theuser, when a gift preference in the gift registry is available from avendor at a reduced cost.
 11. The system according to claim 1, whereinthe at least one processor is operable to enable communication among theuser and the members of the social network.
 12. The system according toclaim 11, wherein the communication among the user and the members ofthe corresponding social network is merged to produce a feed viewable byone or both of the user and the members of the social network.
 13. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor isoperable to populate the gift registry for the user with one or both ofproduct items or services of a different gift registry generated bysomeone other than the user.
 14. The system according to claim 1,wherein the at least one processor is operable to prompt the user toenable or disable one or more permissions regarding member access to thegift registry and associated notifications; and store the one or morepermissions for the user in the memory device.
 15. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein a purchase of a gift preference in the giftregistry, for the user, will update the associated status of the giftpreference.
 16. The system according to claim 1, wherein a postedcomment, from a member of the social network, about a gift preference inthe gift registry will update the associated status of the giftpreference.
 17. A method comprising: a memory device operable to store:one or more gift preferences of a user, wherein the gift preferencescomprise a product item or a service, and wherein a gift registrycomprises the gift preferences, a status of each gift preference in thegift registry, a characteristic of the user, and identities of one ormore members of a social network to which the user belongs; and at leastone processor, with access to the memory device, operable to: provide asingle sign on (SSO) authentication at a website of an e-commercecompany, send an SSO token to an authentication service for the SSOauthentication, wherein the authentication service is in communicationwith a website of the e-commerce company and a website of the giftregistry, in response to the SSO authentication, filter the SSO tokenand send the filtered SSO token to the website of the gift registry, andvalidate, via the web site of the gift registry and the authenticationservice, the filtered SSO token from the website of the e-commercecompany.
 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the statuscomprises an indication of a quantity.
 19. The method according to claim17, wherein the status indicates a purchase, of a gift preference, forthe user.
 20. The method according to claim 17, wherein a membership inthe social network is controlled by the user.